Exorcised Holy Water, Oil and Salt: What They Are and How to Use Them
Exorcised holy water, exorcised oil and exorcised salt are three of the oldest sacramentals of the Catholic Church. This guide explains what the traditional blessing of water, salt and oil involves, how it differs from the exorcism of a person, why these objects are sacramentals and not magic, and how Catholic families use each of them at home.
What does "exorcised" mean for holy water, oil and salt?
In the traditional Roman Ritual, the blessing of water, salt and oil begins with a short prayer of exorcism said over the element itself. The priest asks God to free the creature of salt, water or oil from every influence of the evil one, and then blesses it so that it may serve the faithful for the protection of body and soul.
The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that the chief things formally exorcised in blessings are water, salt and oil, and that holy water in the traditional form is made by mixing exorcised water with exorcised salt (see the Catholic Encyclopedia article on Exorcism). So "exorcised holy water" is not a different kind of liquid. It is holy water blessed with a form of prayer that names, openly, the Church's request to keep evil away.
The Rituale Romanum, first published in 1614, carried these formulas for centuries. Catholics who want this form of blessing today usually ask a priest who celebrates the older rites to bless their water, salt and oil.
Is this the same as exorcising a person?
No. The prayer of exorcism over water, salt or oil is part of blessing an object. The exorcism of a person who may be possessed is a completely different rite, which the Church surrounds with great caution.
The Catechism explains that when the Church asks publicly and authoritatively, in the name of Jesus Christ, that a person or object be protected against the power of the evil one, this is called exorcism. It adds that a solemn, or major, exorcism can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop (CCC 1673). The Church also asks that illness, especially psychological illness, be distinguished first from the presence of the evil one.
The current rite for the exorcism of persons is De exorcismis et supplicationibus quibusdam ("Of exorcisms and certain supplications"), the revised Roman Ritual published in 1999. Its appendix also contains supplications that the faithful may pray privately in the struggle against the powers of darkness. Reciting those prayers is not the same as performing an exorcism, and no layperson should attempt to command a spirit as an exorcist does.
Sacramentals, not magic
Holy water, blessed salt and blessed oil are sacramentals. The Catechism defines sacramentals as sacred signs instituted by the Church which bear a resemblance to the sacraments and signify effects, particularly of a spiritual nature, obtained through the intercession of the Church (CCC 1667). They do not give grace the way the sacraments do; through the prayer of the Church they prepare us to receive grace and to cooperate with it (CCC 1670).
This matters, because the Catechism also warns against superstition, which it describes in part as attributing the efficacy of prayers or of sacramental signs to their mere external performance, apart from the interior dispositions they demand (CCC 2111). A bottle of exorcised water on a shelf does nothing by itself. Used with faith, humility and prayer, it becomes a small, real way of placing ourselves and our homes under God's protection.
A short history of holy water and blessed salt
Salt and water as instruments of blessing go back to the Old Testament. In 2 Kings 2:19-22 the men of Jericho tell the prophet Elisha that the city's water is bad and the land unfruitful. Elisha asks for a new bowl with salt in it, throws the salt into the spring and says in the name of the Lord that the water is healed. Christians later saw in this a figure of salt and water as signs of cleansing and preservation.
Jesus called His disciples "the salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13), and water is the matter of Baptism, the first sacrament. Blessing water for the faithful is very old: the Catholic Encyclopedia describes early formulas for blessing water and oil that ask God to drive away evil spirits (see its article on Holy Water). For the full story of holy water in the Church, read The Power of Catholic Holy Water: History, Uses, and Spiritual Significance.
How to use exorcised holy water at home
Use it the way Catholics have always used holy water: with the sign of the cross and a short prayer. Keep a small font by the front door or the bedroom door so you can bless yourself on the way out and before sleep.
- Bless yourself. Dip your fingers, make the sign of the cross and say the traditional prayer below.
- Bless your home. Sprinkle a few drops in each room while praying, especially after moving in, after an argument or in a time of worry. Our post 6 Christian Prayers to Bless Your House gives prayers you can use room by room.
- Bless your family. Parents trace a small cross on their children's foreheads at bedtime.
A traditional prayer said when taking holy water:
By this holy water and by Your Precious Blood, wash away all my sins, O Lord. Amen.
How to use blessed salt
Blessed salt is used to ask God's protection over a place and over the people who live there.
- Thresholds and windows. Sprinkle a thin line or a few grains across the front door threshold and on windowsills while praying for those who come and go.
- Corners of a room. Place a pinch in the corners of a bedroom or a room where the family has known trouble.
- In food. Some families add a pinch of blessed salt to their cooking or to the water they drink, as a prayer for health of body and soul. It is ordinary salt in every physical sense, so use it in normal amounts.
A prayer written for this article, to say while placing blessed salt at your door:
Lord Jesus, You called Your disciples the salt of the earth. Keep this home and all who enter it under Your protection. Guard us from every evil, preserve us in Your grace, and let nothing cross this threshold that would lead us away from You. Amen.
How to use blessed oil
Blessed oil is a sacramental for personal prayer, not the oil of a sacrament. The Church blesses three holy oils for the sacraments (the Oil of Catechumens, the Oil of the Sick and Sacred Chrism), and only a priest administers the Anointing of the Sick (CCC 1516). The blessed oil you keep at home is something else.
Catholics use blessed oil as a sign of prayer for healing and protection. A parent may trace a small cross with a drop of oil on a sick child's forehead while praying for them, or a person may anoint their own forehead before a difficult day. Avoid using the words of the sacrament, and if someone is seriously ill, call a priest so they can receive the Anointing of the Sick. To learn more, read What Is Holy Oil Used For?.
Where to get exorcised salt and water
The first place to ask is your parish. Bring clean water, salt and oil and ask a priest to bless them; many priests will do so gladly, and some will use the traditional form if you ask. Your parish church usually also has a holy water font from which you may fill a small bottle.
If you would rather keep a ready set at home, or give one to someone who lives far from a parish, Catholically offers one of our best-selling sets: exorcised holy water, oil and salt, blessed with the Church's exorcism prayers by a priest and then blessed by Pope Leo XIV in Rome, shipped from Rome with a Certificate of Authenticity.
Browse Holy Water Blessed by Pope Leo XIV
You will find single bottles in two sizes, holy water sets and bundles with a St. Benedict medal in our full Holy Water collection.
When to speak with a priest
Sacramentals support the Christian life; they do not replace it. If you or someone you love is living through fear, oppression or anything that feels like spiritual trouble, do not face it alone and do not try to handle it with objects. Speak with your parish priest. Go to Confession and receive the Eucharist. If the priest judges it necessary, he can refer you to the priest your bishop has appointed for these situations. And where illness or distress has a medical or psychological side, seeking that help is also an act of good sense and charity.
Holy water, blessed salt and blessed oil are humble signs. Used with faith, they remind us every day that Christ has already conquered evil, and that we belong to Him.
